Whitley Z6485 at Topcliffe airfield.
On the night of 20th / 21st March 1941 seven 102 Squadron Whitleys undertook an an operational flight to attack the U-Boat base at Lorient. This aircraft took off from Topcliffe at 18.52hrs and the crew released their bomb load over the target area from 10,000 feet. Owing to the boggy nature of the centre part of Topcliffe airfield at this time, the flarepath had to be set up near the side of the airfield and near to a boundary hedge. Whitley Z6494 struck a tree on approach to land and then crashed onto the flarepath at Topcliffe at 01.37hrs. Z6494 became bogged down on the flarepath and it appears that the crews of the other returning aircraft were kept in the air circling for some period of time rather than them being diverted elsewhere to land. By 03.15hrs this aircraft was still in the air but the pilot was making an approach to land. Unfortunately another aircraft crossed in front of this aircraft on it's final approach, this distracted the pilot and height was lost. The aircraft then struck a tree and crashed. After this second crash the remaining Whitley's that had not already landed by this time were diverted away to land at Linton on Ouse airfield.
Pilot - Acting F/Lt James Douglas Warne RAF (40447).
Second Pilot - Sgt N D Berndsson.
? - P/O J Carter.
Wireless Operator / Air Gunner - Sgt W Cullen.
Wireless Operator / Air Gunner - Sgt Cyril Higson RAF (654157).
On 29th August 1941 Sgt Higson was still flying with 102 Squadron and survived the crash of Whitley Z6951 with injuries, this accident caused the death of three other members of
his then crew. He later received a commission on 23rd August 1943 and was awarded the DFC for service with 466 Squadron, Gazetted on 20th July 1945.
James Warne was born in 1916 in St.Austell, Cornwall. He was granted a short service commission in the RAF as Acting P/O on probation on 9th
January 1938 and confirmed in the rank of P/O on 25th October 1938. His brother Peter Ellis Warne died on RAF service, missing on 17th April 1940
while serving with 107 Squadron flying Blenheim L8041 on Ops to Stavanger. He had two other brothers who served in the Army and Navy. James Warne
was promoted to F/O on 25th May 1940, F/Lt (war subs) on 25th May 1941 and to S/Ldr (temp) on 1st June 1942 and to S/Ldr (war subs) on 23rd June
1942. He was awarded the DFC, Gazetted with other 4 Group personnel on 22nd October 1940 while in the rank of Acting F/Lt, and the Bar to the DFC,
for service with 58 Squadron, Gazetted on 21st November 1941 while in the rank of Acting S/Ldr. He was also awarded the DSO, Gazetted on 22nd
January 1943 for service wth 148 Squadron while in the rank of Acting W/Co and was Mentioned in Despatches on 11th February 1947 for distinguished
service in South East Asia, terminating on 30th November 1946, while in the rank of Acting W/Co. He remained in the RAF Post-War and was appointed
to a permanent commission of S/Ldr on 1st September 1945. He was awarded the CBE on an unknown date. He rose to W/Co on 1st January 1951 and to
G/Cpt on 1st January 1958 before retiring. He died in 1991 in Surrey.
Whitley Z6485 was built to contract 106962/40 by Armstrong Whitworth Ltd. at Baginton and was awaiting collection on 17th January 1941. It was taken on charge
later the same month by 58 Squadron at Linton on Ouse but transferred to 102 Squadron at Topcliffe in February 1941. On 21st March 1941 it sustained minor Cat.A
as stated above and was repaired on site. By the end of 1941 Z6485 was in the hands of 10 OTU at Abingdon. On 25th September 1942 Cat.E(m) damage was recorded as
a result of probably being shotdown by a Junkers Ju88 and crashed in the sea off Brittany. At the time this aircraft had been detached to St.Eval for Coastal
Command training, it's then crew of six were rescued.